On December 3, 2024, the Women’s Action Network for Development (WAND) Women Organization held the 2024 National Policy Forum in Quezon City. The forum emphasized WAND Inc.’s initiatives to integrate gender concerns into governance and promote good gender practices.
A key feature of the event was the presentations from women organizations that were part of the Adapt + Innovate Leadership Program, a project backed by the Galing Pook Foundation, Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), and Global Affairs Canada. This program empowered 10 women’s organizations and 50 community leaders to tackle issues such as violence against women and children (VAWC), livelihood challenges, environmental protection, and early childhood education.
As part of the forum, WAND unveiled its casebook and audio-visual materials showcasing the organizations’ flagship projects. The casebook, titled “Looking From the Balcony: Stories of Leadership, Innovation, and Women Empowerment Through the WAND-WRAAP Project” authored by Jay Carizo, highlighted the leadership and innovative contributions of grassroots women, focusing on gender-responsive governance and the projects of 10 partner organizations from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, including policy recommendations arising from the experiences of the women organizations.
The Adapt + Innovate Leadership Program was initially designed in 2022 by the Galing PookFoundation for local government units (LGUs) and later adapted by WAND to enhance the skills of its affiliate organizations and women leaders. The program aimed to equip participants with strategies to address gender issues within their communities while fostering governance principles.
WAND and PBSP are among the 17member organizations of the Foundation for a Sustainable Society, Inc. (FSSI). FSSI continues to advocate for women’s economic empowerment through gender lens investing.
